Virtual cells for radio access network (ran) sharing

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods herein provide for the aggregation of a plurality of wireless base stations for access by a Mobile Central Office (MCO) communicating with user equipment (UEs) through a network. In one embodiment, a communication system includes a first plurality of wireless base stations, each being operable to communicate with UEs. The system also includes a base station aggregator operable to aggregate the wireless base stations into a virtual base station, and to interface with the MCO. The base station aggregator is further operable to process a request from the MCO for access to communications provided by the virtual base station, to grant the request, to intermediate on behalf of the MCO, and to exchange communications between the MCO and a UE subscribing to the MCO and operating within the coverage of the virtual base station.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/150,461, filed Oct. 3, 2018, which application is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/162,218, filed May23, 2016, which prior application claims priority to, and thus thebenefit of an earlier filing date from, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/165,549 (filed May 22, 2015), the entire contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Cellular telephony continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Cellulartelephone networks currently exist in a variety of forms and operateusing a variety of modulations, signaling techniques, and protocols,such as those found in 3G and LTE networks (3rd Generation of mobiletelecommunications technology and Long Term Evolution, respectively). Asconsumers require more capacity, the networks usually evolve. Forexample, some carriers, or Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), employ thefaster LTE because, as demand for data and voice increased, the MNOsneeded faster networks.

And, the very different ways in which the networks operate furthercomplicate network changes. For example, 3G networks would handlewireless communications through a base station by connecting thecommunications to a Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN) through aMobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) of the MNO. In LTE, however,wireless communications through base stations are typically handledthrough packet switching networks so a connection to the PSTN is notnecessary in many cases. In either case, each network of a MNO includessome sort of Mobile Central Office that is operable to handle thecommunications between wireless devices (also known as user equipment)and base stations.

Still, even with these faster networks, the demand for more data appearsto outpace MNO capabilities. And, the demand can change from day to dayor even hour to hour. For example, when a location experiences a rapidincrease in population, such as what occurs during sporting events, theMNOs capacity can be overwhelmed. And, when an MNO's capacity isoverwhelmed, communications between user equipment and base stations getdropped.

Shared base station deployments exist but they are typically isolatedand relatively small. And, several challenges have prevented theiradoption due to needed size to accommodate many users. For example,neighbor cell provisioning across networks with large quantities ofcells is difficult. And, the integration of network to networkinterfaces between small cells and larger “macro” network cells is evenmore difficult. Moreover, when user equipment (UEs) traverses from cellto cell, the constant change in signaling significantly taxes and drainsthe batteries of the UEs. That is, a larger macro cell saves UE batterylife because it provides more coverage control of its base stations suchthat the UE does not need to constantly register with as many basestations.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods herein provide for the aggregation of a plurality ofwireless base stations for access by a Mobile Central Office (MCO) of anMNO communicating with user equipment (UEs, such as wireless devices)through a network. In one embodiment, a communication system includes afirst plurality of wireless base stations, each being operable tocommunicate with UEs. For example, each wireless base station isgenerally operable to handle a session (i.e., a voice call, a dataconnection, etc.) from a UE and to handoff the session to another of thewireless base stations when the wireless device moves into a range ofthe other wireless base station. The system also includes a base stationaggregator operable to aggregate the wireless base stations into avirtual base station, and to interface with the MCO. The base stationaggregator may be further operable to process a request from the MCO foraccess to communications provided by the virtual base station, to grantthe request, to intermediate on behalf of the MCO, and to exchangecommunications between the MCO and a UE subscribing to the MCO andoperating within the virtual base station.

The various embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in a varietyof ways as a matter of design choice. For example, some embodimentsherein are implemented in hardware whereas other embodiments may includeprocesses that are operable to implement and/or operate the hardware.Other exemplary embodiments, including software and firmware, aredescribed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Some embodiments of the present invention are now described, by way ofexample only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The samereference number represents the same element or the same type of elementon all drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams of an exemplary wirelesscommunication system.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process operable withthe wireless communication system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary base station aggregator.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary messaging diagram of the base station aggregator.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system in which acomputer readable medium provides instructions for performing methodsherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The figures and the following description illustrate specific exemplaryembodiments of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that thoseskilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that,although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principlesof the invention and are included within the scope of the invention.Furthermore, any examples described herein are intended to aid inunderstanding the principles of the invention and are to be construed asbeing without limitation to such specifically recited examples andconditions. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments or examples described below.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams of an exemplary wirelesscommunication system. The wireless communication system includes a basestation aggregator 101 and a plurality of wireless base stations106-101. The base station aggregator 101 is operable to interface withan MCO 102 to aggregate the base stations 106-101 into a virtual basestation 103 that provides additional capacity to the MCO 102.

To illustrate, in FIG. 1A, the MCO 102 is communicatively coupled to aplurality of wireless base stations 106-102 to provide communications toUEs operating within cell coverages 110-102 of the wireless basestations 106-102. The MCO 102 operates and manages each of the basestations 106-102 so as to provide a network coverage area 104 for eachof its subscribing UEs. Occasionally, however, the MCO 102 needsadditional capacity for its subscribing UEs. This may be due to UEsmoving out of the network coverage area 104 of the MCO 102, increasedcapacity requirement due to UEs overloading a particular base station106-102, or the like. The MCO 102, in this regard, communicates with thebase station aggregator 101 to acquire additional capacity from thevirtual base station 103.

The base station aggregator 101 can provide the additional capacity ofthe virtual base station to the MCO 102 for its subscribing UEs, as wellas any other UEs “roaming” into the network coverage area 104.Generally, though, the base stations 106-101 are comprised of aplurality of independent operators and/or quickly deployable “hotspots”with each covering a limited coverage area 110-101 (e.g., a cell). Forexample, indoor conventions hosting a relatively large number of peoplemay need wireless telephony for those people. Oftentimes, the buildingsof these indoor conventions shield communications of the larger MCOnetwork. Accordingly, one or more hotspot base stations 106-101 may bedeployed within the building so that the people attending the conventioncan receive wireless telephony services. And, while the base stationaggregator 101 operates and maintains the hotspot base station(s)106-101 as a virtual base station 103, the MCO 102 may control thevirtual base station 103 and the UEs in a manner that is transparent tothe UEs.

Each of these base stations 106-101 may employ communication protocols(e.g., Edge network, 2G, 3G, etc.) that differ from that of the MCO 102(e.g., LTE) and its base stations 106-102. The base station aggregator101 is operable to independently communicate with each of the basestations 106-101 and provide a translation which allows the base stationaggregator 101 to aggregate the base stations 106-101 into a virtualbase station 103, as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, when the base station aggregator 101grants access to the virtual base station 103, the virtual base station103 and its associated base stations 106-101, come under control of theMCO 102 and are considered part of the network coverage area 104 of theMCO 102. The base station aggregator 101 then translates communicationsbetween the MCO 102 and the base stations 106-101 until the additionalcapacity is no longer required by the MCO 102.

Based on the forgoing, an MCO is any system, apparatus, software, orcombination thereof operable to maintain or otherwise support wirelesscommunications, including data and voice, with subscribers via UEs(e.g., mobile handsets and other wireless devices). Accordingly, the MCOmay be a wireless communications carrier or network (e.g., carbon MNO)employing, for example, 2G, 3G, LTE, WiFi, or any combination thereof.And, a base station 106 is any device or system operable to communicatewith UEs via Radio Frequency (RF).

Generally, when MCOs are owned, managed, or otherwise controlled byseparate entities, the competitive nature of the environment preventscooperation among of MCOs, such as MCO 101. However, the ability toshare capacity with MCOs can be quite beneficial. For example, inemergency situations where the MCO happens to be over capacity with itssubscribers and a base station 106-101 operating in the same area isnot, moving capacity from the base station aggregator 101 wouldadvantageously allow the over capacity MCO to establish communicationsfor more of its subscribers and ensure that calls go through.

As used herein, capacity may include Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum, datathroughput, backhaul capacity, network processing (e.g., virtualizedRANs), channels in a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) signal, CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) channels, channels in a FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (FDMA) signal, channels in the OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing (OFMD), Carrier Sense Multiple Access(CSMA), and the like. Backhaul capacity may include, among other things,a backhaul portion of a network including intermediate links between acore network (or a backbone network) and smaller subnetworks at an edgeof a hierarchical network. Backhaul capacity can also include anobligation to carry data packets to and from a global network, and thelike.

In some embodiments, the base station aggregator 101 is operable to domuch of the processing of the UE communications as a Virtualized RadioAccess Network (VRAN, a.k.a. a “cloud RAN”) with each base station106-101 providing a digitized sample of the entire RF spectrum ofinterest that may be transmitted from the base station interface. Insuch an embodiment, the wireless base stations 106-101 may be configuredwith antennas, transceivers, and digitizers that digitize the radiocommunications of the RF spectrum in which the UEs operate. A digitizedrepresentation of the RF spectrum may thus be transmitted to a remote“cloud” of base station processing. For example, the base stationaggregator 101 may allocate a particular frequency band of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum in which its subscriber UEs can operate. And,each base station 106-101 of the base station aggregator 101 may beconfigured to digitize that portion of the radio frequency (RF)spectrum. Then, each base station conveys the digitized spectrum to thebase station aggregator 101 such that the communications of the UEs canbe extracted and processed.

In some instances, the base station aggregator 101 is operable toreceive digitized spectrums from the base stations 106-101 toconstructively re-create the RF communications of a single UE. Forexample, a UE's signal may be detected/received by multiple basestations 106-101 of the virtual base station 103. Some base stations106-101 may have stronger detections of the UE whereas other basestations 106-101 may receive “multipath” aspects of the UE's signal. Thevirtual RAN processes the digitized spectrums of each of the basestations 106-101 and reconstructs the UE's signal from the “constructiveinterference” of the multipath and receptions by the base stations106-101. And, the baseband and MAC layers are calculated in the cloud,not at the antenna as in conventional cell networks. Thus, the basestation greater 101 is operable to handle the call through the digitizedor virtual RAN.

Although shown or described with respect to the base station aggregator101 providing communication access to all of the base stations 106-101of the virtual base station 103, the invention is not intended to belimited as such. The base station aggregator 101 may be operable to formmultiple virtual base stations 103 from the base stations 106-101 andprovide the additional capacity to the MCO 102, depending on the needsof the MCO 102. For example, the MCO 102 may only require capacity fromone base station 106-101. Accordingly, the base station aggregator 101may virtualize that single base station 106-101 into its own virtualbase station 103 and provide that capacity to the MCO 102.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 200 operablewith the wireless communication system of FIG. 1. In this embodiment,the base station aggregator 101 operates the plurality of wireless basestations 106-101, with each base station 106-101 being operable tocommunicate with a plurality of UEs, in the process element 201. Asmentioned, the base station aggregator 101 is operable to aggregate thebase stations 106-101 into a virtual base station 103, in the processelement 202. The base station aggregator 101 then processes a requestfrom the MCO 102 for access to at least a portion of the communicationsprovided by the virtual base station 103, in the process element 203.

The base station aggregator 101 then determines whether the virtual basestation 103 can sustain the communications for the MCO 102, in theprocess element 204. For example, the base station aggregator 101 maydetermine whether it has any capacity to share from the virtual basestation 103. If the virtual base station 103 can sustain thecommunications for the MCO 102 (i.e., capacity does exist), then thebase station in aggregator 101 grants request and intermediates onbehalf of the MCO 102, in the process element 206. From there, the basestation aggregator 101 exchanges communications between the MCO 102 anda subscribing (or roaming) UE of the MCO 102 through the base stations106-101 of the virtual base station 103, in the process element 207. Ifthe base station aggregator 101 has no available capacity, then the basestation aggregator 101 may deny the access to the virtual base station103, in the process element 205.

Although shown and described with respect to the base station aggregator101 being operable to provide capacity to a single MCO (e.g., the MCO102), the invention is not intended be limited as such. For example, thebase station aggregator 101 may be operable to interface with any numberof MCOs to provide additional capacity based on the capacity of the basestations 106-101 of the virtual base station 103. It should also benoted that access to the additional capacity of the virtual base station103 can change based on the requirements of the MCO 102. For example,when the MCO 102 no longer requires the additional capacity of thevirtual base station 103, then the base station aggregator 101 may closeaccess to the additional capacity of the virtual base station 103 at thedirection of the MCO 102.

Moreover, the base station aggregator 101 may be operable to create thevirtual base station 103 from the base stations 106-102 as well as thebase stations 106-101. For example, assume that the MCO 102 has excesscapacity that can be used by another MCO. The station aggregator 101 mayacquire those base stations 106-102 and create a virtual base station103 from those base stations. Additionally, the virtual base station 103created from the base stations 106-101 and/or the base stations 106-102of the MCO 102 may include an MCO determined coverage area, MCOdetermined cell identifier assignments, and native network MCOaddressing. Accordingly, the base station aggregator 103 is any device,system, software, or combination thereof operable to virtualize anycombination of base stations 106-101 and 106-2 into a virtual basestation 103 for use by the MCO 102 or any other MCO requestingadditional capacity.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary base station aggregator 101.In this embodiment, the base station aggregator 101 comprises a virtualRAN processor 251 that is operable to interface with a plurality ofwireless base stations 106-101. As each of these base stations 106-101may employ different communication protocols (e.g., 2G, 3G, LTE, etc.),the virtual RAN processor 251 is operable to independently communicatewith each of these base stations 106-101 according to their variousprotocols. The virtual RAN processor 251 establishes a communicationinterface that aggregates the base stations 106-102 into virtual basestation 103 such that the MCO 102 can acquire the additional capacityfrom those base stations 106-102 through the interface.

As mentioned, the base station aggregator 101 is operable to interfacewith a plurality of MCOs. However, MCOs may also vary in terms of theircommunication protocols for various reasons. For example, many MCOs nowemploy the more modern LTE communication protocols to operate theircommunication networks (e.g., base stations 106-102 of the networkcoverage area 104). However, some MCOs have not upgraded to thiscommunication protocol due to various reasons such as finances, cateringto lower tier subscribers, etc. Accordingly, these MCOs employ oldercommunication protocols, such as 2G and 3G. In whatever the case, thebase station aggregator 101 comprises a protocol translator 252 that isoperable to process requests for capacity based on the MCO'scommunication protocol and then translate communications from the MCO tothe communication protocol of the virtual base station 103.

To illustrate, assume that a first MCO employs the LTE communicationprotocol for its communication network to control its base stations andto communicate with UEs based on that protocol. Now assume that thevirtual base station 103 comprises a mix of 2G and 3G base stations106-101. The virtual RAN processor 251 may implement the virtual basestation 103 according to the lower tier service provided by the 2Gcommunication protocol. The protocol translator 252 is operable totranslate the LTE communications from the MCO to the lower tier 2Gcommunication protocol to communicate with the virtual base station 103.

When the protocol translator 202 receives a request for additionalcapacity from the LTE MCO, the virtual RAN processor 251 determineswhether there is any available capacity in the virtual base station 103.If so, the virtual RAN processor 251 indicates such to the protocoltranslator 252 to establish communications between the LTE MCO and theUEs operating within the virtual base station 103. From there, theprotocol translator 202 translates the LTE communication protocol to thelower tier 2G communication protocol, and vice versa, such thatcommunications with the UEs operating within the coverage of the virtualbase station 103 can be controlled by the LTE MCO. This, of course, mayresult in fewer services as the LTE communications offer a wider varietyof, and typically faster, services.

Now consider an alternative scenario in which the MCO requestingadditional capacity from the base station aggregator 101 operates with a2G communication protocol and that the virtual base station 103 iscomprised of a plurality of 3G base stations 106-101. In this example,the virtual RAN processor 251 may present the virtual base station 103as a 3G base station with more capabilities than the requesting MCO. Theprotocol translator 252 in this instance would translate communicationsfrom the 2G MCO to the 3G virtual base station 103. Accordingly, whenthe 2G MCO acquires capacity from the base station aggregator 101 andessentially controls the base stations 106-101 of the virtual basestation 103, the protocol translator 252 translates the lower tier 2Gcommunication protocol to the higher tier 3G communication protocol ofthe virtual base station 103. This, of course, may result in the 2G MCOproviding lower tier services to its UEs operating within the coverageof the virtual base station 100.

The above two examples merely illustrate how the virtual RAN processor251 can aggregate into a single communication protocol operable with thevirtual base station 103 and how the protocol translator 252 cantranslate the communications from a requesting MCO to the virtual basestation 103, and vice versa. However, the invention is not intended belimited to these two examples as any combination of virtual base stationaggregation and protocol translation can be implemented. For example,the virtual RAN processor 251 can aggregate the base stations 106-101 inany combination of communication protocols. In some instances, thevirtual base station 103 may be an aggregation of multiple communicationprotocols or a single communication protocol. And, as mentioned, basestation aggregator 101 can aggregate the base stations 106-101 in anynumber of virtual base stations 103 to provide capacity to a requestingMCO. The combination of the virtual RAN processor 251 and the protocoltranslator 252 also provides negotiation of service provided by theprotocols. For example, the virtual RAN processor 251 and the protocoltranslator 252 implement a lower tier protocol may be used when eitherthe MCO 102 or the virtual base station 103 employs such. However, sameprotocols can be implemented when the virtual base station 103 and theMCO 102 are the same type.

The base station aggregator 101 may also include an account manager 253that is operable to maintain accounts from requesting MCOs. For example,a requesting LTE MCO may have a different fee structure than arequesting 2G MCO. Accordingly, the account manager 253 charges therequesting MCO for additional capacity provided by the base stationaggregator 101 based on the structure. The account manager 253 may alsotrack minutes of service consumed by subscribing or roaming UEs andrelay that information to the requesting MCO such that it can charge theUEs accordingly.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary messaging diagram of the base station aggregator101. In this embodiment, an MNO/MCO 102 operates its base stations106-101-1-106-102-N in the network coverage area 104 (wherein thereference number “N” represents an integer greater than “1” and notnecessarily to any other “N” reference designated herein). The basestation aggregator 101 operates its base stations 106-101-1-106-101-Nand aggregates them into the virtual base station 103. When the MNO/MCO102 determines that it needs additional capacity, and transmits acapacity request to the base station aggregator 101. The base stationaggregator 101, in turn, detects its available capacity within thevirtual base station 103. If capacity is available, then the basestation aggregator 101 conveys to the MNO/MCO 102 that capacity isavailable and that the access to the virtual base station 103 isgranted.

After accesses been granted by the base station aggregator 101, theMSO/MCO 102 conveys control messaging such as transmit power control,billing information, and the like, to the base station aggregator 101.The base station aggregator 101 translates the messaging such thatcommunications between the MNO/MCO 102 and the virtual base station 103can be established and thus communications between the UEs operating inthe virtual base station 103 and the MNO/MCO 102 can be established.When the capacity is no longer required by the MNO/MCO 102, the basestation aggregator 101 reacquires the virtual base station 103 anddirects the MNO/MCO 102 to relinquish its control over the virtual basestation 103.

Advantages of the above embodiments provide a rapid integration ofnetwork to network interfaces between smaller independent cells and amacro network with little to no disruption of the service to the UEs.For example, the aggregation of smaller independent cells (e.g., thebase stations 106-101) into the virtual base station 103 provides asimpler provisioning of mobility procedures for larger MNOs/MCOs. Theself-organizing network (SON) process of the base station aggregator 101also provides auto provisioning of the base stations 106-102 based onthe MNOs/MCOs needs. That is, the base station aggregator 101 is able tocreate virtual base stations 103 based on the capacity needs of theMNOs/MCOs.

And, when a virtual base station 103 is provided to a requesting MCO,the requesting MCO acquires control of the virtual base station 103 andits existing base stations 106-101 such that the requesting MCO canprocess the communications to reduce interference and/or reduce“ping-ponging”. For example, the requesting MCO can control the transmitpower of the virtual base station 103 and its existing base stations106-101 (i.e., through the translation provided by the base stationaggregator 101). The SON properties of the base station aggregator 101allows the MNO/MCO 102 to direct the virtual base station 103 to adjusttransmit power of its existing base stations 106-101 such that UEs onlyoperate with a higher power base station 106-101 of the virtual basestation 103 as opposed to ping-ponging between proximate base stations106-101 of the virtual base station 103. This assists in reducing powerconsumption by the UEs operating within the virtual base station 103.

Other advantages of the base station aggregator 101 the ability toassign cell identifier plans to each virtual base station 103 accordingto MNO numbering plans and needs and to provide mobility procedures(e.g., handoffs) between the virtual base station 103 and the basestations 106-102 of the MCO 102. Additionally, the base stationaggregator 101 can aggregate base stations 106-101 across anygeographical area. For example, the base station aggregator 101 may becommunicatively coupled to the base stations 106-101 and managed in thecloud such that the base stations 106-101 may be operated globally,thereby allowing the MCO 102 global access to the virtual base station103 for its subscribing and roaming UEs.

The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardwareand software elements. In one embodiment, the invention is implementedin software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, residentsoftware, microcode, etc. FIG. 5 illustrates a computing system 300 inwhich a computer readable medium 306 may provide instructions forperforming any of the methods disclosed herein.

Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer programproduct accessible from the computer readable medium 306 providingprogram code for use by or in connection with a computer or anyinstruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, thecomputer readable medium 306 can be any apparatus that can tangiblystore the program for use by or in connection with the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device, including the computer system300.

The medium 306 can be any tangible electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus ordevice). Examples of a computer readable medium 306 include asemiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), arigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Some examples of optical disksinclude compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write(CD-R/W) and DVD.

The computing system 300, suitable for storing and/or executing programcode, can include one or more processors 302 coupled directly orindirectly to memory 308 through a system bus 310. The memory 308 caninclude local memory employed during actual execution of the programcode, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storageof at least some program code in order to reduce the number of timescode is retrieved from bulk storage during execution. Input/output orI/O devices 304 (including but not limited to keyboards, displays,pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly orthrough intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also becoupled to the system to enable the computing system 300 to becomecoupled to other data processing systems, such as through host systemsinterfaces 312, or remote printers or storage devices throughintervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernetcards are just a few of the currently available types of networkadapters.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication system, comprising: a pluralityof wireless base stations, each being operable to communicate with aplurality of user equipment (UEs); and a base station aggregatoroperable to aggregate the plurality of wireless base stations into avirtual base station, and to interface with a Mobile Central Office(MCO), the MCO being operable to communicate with subscribing UEsthrough a network.
 2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein: thebase station aggregator is further operable to process a request fromthe MCO for access to at least a portion of communications provided bythe virtual base station, to grant the request, to intermediate onbehalf of the MCO, and to exchange communications between the MCO and afirst of the subscribing UEs operating within the virtual base station.3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein: the base stationaggregator is further operable to process a message from the MCO that asecond of the subscribing UEs has moved into communication coverageprovided by the virtual base station, and to exchange communicationsbetween the MCO and the second subscribing UE when the secondsubscribing UE has moved into the communication coverage of the virtualbase station.
 4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein: thenetwork comprises another plurality of wireless base stations; the otherplurality of wireless base stations operates according to Long TermEvolution (LTE) wireless protocols; at least one of the plurality ofwireless base stations of the virtual base station operates according toa second generation (2G) wireless protocol, a third generation (3G)wireless protocol, or a combination thereof; and the base stationaggregator is further operable to translate between the wirelessprotocol of the other plurality of wireless base stations and thewireless protocol of the virtual base station.
 5. The wirelesscommunication system of claim 1, wherein: the base station aggregator isfurther operable to hand over transmit power control of the plurality ofwireless base stations of the virtual base station to the MCO to reducetransmission power of the first subscribing UE.
 6. The wirelesscommunication system of claim 1, wherein: the base station aggregator isfurther operable to hand off communications of the first UE to the MCOwhen the first UE moves into communication coverage of the network. 7.The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein: the base stationaggregator is further operable to interface with another MCO, the otherMCO being operable to communicate with its subscribing UEs via anothernetwork; and the base station aggregator is further operable to processa request from the other MCO for access to at least a portion ofcommunications provided by the virtual base station, to grant therequest, to intermediate on behalf of the other MCO, and to exchangecommunications between the other MCO and from a first of its subscribingUEs operating within the virtual base station.
 8. The wirelesscommunication system of claim 1, wherein: the network comprises anotherplurality of wireless base stations; and the base station aggregator isfurther operable to aggregate at least a portion of the other pluralityof wireless base stations into another virtual base station.
 9. A methodof wireless base station aggregation, comprising: operating a pluralityof wireless base stations, each being operable to communicate with aplurality of user equipment (UEs); aggregating the plurality of wirelessbase stations into a virtual base station; interfacing with a MobileCentral Office (MCO), the MCO being operable to communicate withsubscribing UEs through a network; processing a request from the MCO foraccess to at least a portion of communications provided by the virtualbase station; granting the request; intermediating on behalf of the MCO;and exchanging communications between the MCO and a first of thesubscribing UEs operating within the virtual base station.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising: processing a message from the MCOthat a second of the subscribing UEs has moved into communicationcoverage provided by the virtual base station; and exchangingcommunications between the MCO and the second subscribing UE when thesecond subscribing UE has moved into the communication coverage of thevirtual base station.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein: the networkcomprises another plurality of wireless base stations; the otherplurality of wireless base stations operates according to Long TermEvolution (LTE) wireless protocols; at least one of the plurality ofwireless base stations of the virtual base station operates according toa second generation (2G) wireless protocol, a third generation (3G)wireless protocol, or a combination thereof; and the method furthercomprises translating between the wireless protocol of the otherplurality of wireless base stations and the wireless protocol of thevirtual base station.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:handing over transmit power control of the first plurality of wirelessbase stations to the MCO to reduce transmission power of the firstsubscribing UE.
 13. The method of claim 9, further comprising: handingoff communications of the first UE to the MCO when the first UE movesinto communication coverage of the network.
 14. The method of claim 9,further comprising: interfacing with another MCO, the other MCO beingoperable to communicate with subscribing UEs via another network;processing a request from the other MCO for access to at least a portionof communications provided by the virtual base station; granting therequest; intermediating on behalf of the other MCO; and exchangingcommunications between the other MCO and a first its subscribing UEsoperating within the virtual base station.
 15. The method of claim 9,wherein: the network comprises another plurality of wireless basestations; and the method further comprises aggregating at least aportion of the other plurality of wireless base stations into anothervirtual base station.
 16. A non-transitory computer readable mediumcomprising instructions that, when executed by a wireless telephonyprocessor, direct the processor to: operate a plurality of wireless basestations, each being operable to communicate with a plurality of userequipment (UEs); aggregate the plurality of wireless base stations intoa virtual base station; interface with a Mobile Central Office (MCO),the MCO being operable to communicate with subscribing UEs through anetwork; process a request from the MCO for access to at least a portionof communications provided by the virtual base station; grant therequest; intermediate on behalf of the MCO; and exchange communicationsbetween the MCO and a first of the subscribing UEs operating within thevirtual base station.
 17. The computer readable medium of claim 16,further comprising instructions that direct the processor to: process amessage from the MCO that a second of the subscribing UEs has moved intocommunication coverage provided by the virtual base station; andexchange communications between the MCO and the second subscribing UEwhen the second subscribing UE has moved into the communication coverageof the virtual base station.
 18. The computer readable medium of claim16, wherein: the network comprises another plurality of wireless basestations; the other plurality of wireless base stations operatesaccording to Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless protocols; at least oneof the plurality of wireless base stations of the virtual base stationoperates according to a second generation (2G) wireless protocol, athird generation (3G) wireless protocol, or a combination thereof; andthe computer readable medium further comprises instructions that directthe processor to translate between the wireless protocol of the otherplurality of wireless base stations and the wireless protocol of thevirtual base station.
 19. The computer readable medium of claim 16,further comprising instructions that direct the processor to: hand overtransmit power control of the first plurality of wireless base stationsto the MCO to reduce transmission power of the first subscribing UE; andhand off communications of the first UE to the MCO when the first UEmoves into communication coverage of the network.
 20. The computerreadable medium of claim 16, wherein: the network comprises anotherplurality of wireless base stations; and the computer readable mediumfurther comprises instructions that direct the processor: to aggregateat least a portion of the other plurality of wireless base stations intoanother virtual base station; interface with another MCO, the other MCObeing operable to communicate with subscribing UEs via another network;process a request from the other MCO for access to at least a portion ofcommunications provided by the other virtual base station; grant therequest; intermediate on behalf of the other MCO; and exchangecommunications between the other MCO and a first its subscribing UEsoperating within the other virtual base station.